No worries. AFAIK they do local returns (at least I think it was Wiggle). probikekit have an .au domain now also and torpedo7 have had one for ages (although these days they may do some things out of Melbourne)

master6 wrote: Moderators are like Club Handicappers; I often think they are wrong, but I dont want the job.

They do have an Australia warehouse that stocks some of their items (or they may bulk ship to that warehouse common items that have a high turnover) and you can send some returns to an Australian address.

I have a feeling it is shipped to Australia in bulk, ie goods from Portsmouth, get packed there, all parcels to Australia go in big box, which is sent to Australia by other means, then unpacked and enters the postal system in here.

Which is why Wiggle are faster than the other usual suspects (Ribble, PBK, CRC, Planet-X etc) at the moment, except Evan using DHL.

As for for some reason, Royal Mail is slow to Australia at the moment not the 5 to 7 days advertise, or even 10 to 14 days usual, but 17 days plus.

My partner buys get 1 or 2 parcels from the UK each week and keeps track of these things.

Last edited by nickobec on Wed Jun 26, 2013 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

nickobec wrote:I have a feeling it is shipped to Australia in bulk, ie goods from Portsmouth, get packed there, all parcels to Australia go in big box, which is sent to Australia by other means, then unpacked and enters the postal system in here.

That would make sense.

master6 wrote: Moderators are like Club Handicappers; I often think they are wrong, but I dont want the job.

I asked them the other night on the online chat what was the difference between the UK site and AU site (got annoyed of the question on the bottom always asking if I want to shop from the AU site instead). The AU site defaults to $AUD and only list items that can be shipped to Australia.

I normally order from the .com.au site but usually the stuff I have ordered comes direct from UK - you can track the progress of your order on DHL if you are really weird like me. Delivery has always come direct to me from the DHL customs clearing at the airport. I have never selected anything other than normal delivery and it comes in about 5 days. I ordered a set of wheels on a Friday and they rocked up on Monday morning which was pretty impressive.

They do hold some stock here in Oz on the east coast and you can return things to that address I believe. With my last order I had a picking error which I emailed them about at 5.30pm NSW time. Next morning I had a delivery of the missing item which was obviously in stock here.

Mylotian wrote:Be careful when ordering clothes from Wiggle I got hit with a 50% restocking fee when something I purchased was the wrong size and when I queried this they virtually ignored me.

Interesting - in purchasing from the UK it means Aussie customers have rights as per UK law, but I don't know what they are when it comes to ordering the wrong size. In Australia some retailers provide incorrect information to avoid returns (eg. no refunds where customers may have the right to a refund). It would be interesting to know what your customer rights are in this case based on UK law.

As a customer, I would readily accept postage costs however if an item is in original condition and unopened then I also wouldn't want to pay a surcharge. A different story though if the item was opened / tried as I see a difference between online and instore where a local bike shop will (may) allow gear to be tried first. That said, I know a popular overseas shoe and fashion retailer that is doing amazing business, they allow gear to be tried and returned if the customer doesn't like it or it doesn't fit at no cost and with a full refund. This trust - and for customers a real motivator and they end up buying more.

It depends what is meant by "the wrong size"My recollection from my time in the UK is:If they delivered an item which is a different size to that ordered then clearly "not fit for purpose"If they item is the size as ordered but you made a mistake, then you can return unopened at your expense and get a refund as a "cooling off" provisionIf the item is the size as ordered and you try it on and don't like it then "caveat emptor"

I suspect retailers who allow you to "try and return" have a big margin on their sales. You don't get something for nothing. This is a bit like goods that come with a "lifetime replacement guarantee"

On Ken's comment, if you buy Bont shoes in Aus, they will often send two sizes to the shop to ensure you get the right fit. Seems a bit crazy, but if you are going to pony up 300 for a pair of shoes, it is probably cheaper to just send both boxes at once and let the retailer keep or return the second pair. It's not bargain basement stuff... but you are dealing with the aussie margin